Guide to Israel Schools

Tomer Devorah—S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program

Accommodations

Living QuartersEach room will house 4-5 students. The dorms are housed in the same beautiful building as all the school facilities - no need to be exposed to the elements on your way to class, to the common areas or to eat. All students have access to a kitchenette, laundry and computers with internet access. Students may choose their own roommates. Tomer Devorah is housed on a sprawling campus equipped with a basketball court, private park and multiple outdoor areas for recreation.

Availability of Private Kitchen Facilities

Facility use during Shabbat and Yom Tov
The dorm is always open.

Curfew
Curfew is at 11:30 pm.

Security Arrangements
There is a 24 hour security guard, closed circuit cameras and a fence surrounding the entire scenic campus.

Accrediting Universities

Tomer Devorah is a recognized Yeshiva University S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program School. Our credits are accepted by Touro College, Excelsior College and various other universities. Please be in touch with the Tomer Devorah Office to find out if your college will accept a Tomer Devorah transcript.

Additional Information

Please see our website http://www.tomerdevorah.net/

Curriculum

Makeup
Our curriculum focuses on developing a deep love of Judaism and commitment to a Torah lifestyle through learning the texts and contemporary teachings of our rabbis. There is a strong emphasis on Midot development and finding each individual girl's place in her Judaism.

Daily Schedule
Classes are offered 5 days a week beginning at 8:30am. Girls choose their own classes and therefore have the flexibility to create their schedules to best suit their individual needs. Aside from an optional "Walking Jerusalem" class which meets 3-4 times over the course of each semester, there are no classes on Fridays.

Language of InstructionMost
classes are taught in English. There is an option to take a few of our
courses that are taught in Hebrew for our "Ivrit b'Ivrit" program.Ulpan or Hebrew ClassWe
offer three Ulpan options on varying levels.Assessment and GradingGrades
are assessed based on attendance, class participation and semester tests or
projects. Shana BetTomer Devorah offers a full shana bet program.

Joint ProgramYeshiva University, Touro, Excelsior College

Eligibility

Level of Learning Offered
Intermediate-Advanced

Hebrew Knowledge Required
Shiurim are in English.

Religious Observance Required
An orthodox woman who exhibits a positive attitude towards her shemirat Torah U 'Mitzvot and who is actively seeking growth in learning.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Interaction with Israelis
Tomer Devorah is located on the beautiful Beit Olot Campus -- a home for underprivileged Israeli girls.
Tomer Devorah girls are encouraged to expand their horizons by spending shabbat with families living all over Israel.

Special Informal programsSpecial informal programming happens all the time at Tomer Devorah. We host workshops at staff homes, movie nights on educational topics, night activities, exercise classes, game.nights, kumzitzs, dinners with teachers and more. Over vacation times, we have special programming including a pizza party, BBQ, tie dyeing, informal trips, joint chessed opportunities and other fun and relaxing activities.

Programming for Shabbat and Yom Tov
Tomer Devorah offers one to two shabbatonim per month. Shabbatonim are either on our campus or in various communities around Israel. Tomer Devorah has a shabbat placement program in which girls can sign up to be placed in different communities.

Field Trips
Tomer Devorah girls are privileged to travel the width and breadth of the country. We travel up to the north of the country, down to the south of the country and everywhere in between.

Hashkafa

Goal of Program
To educate and inspire students and to use a healthy Torah lens to assess their goals and priorities for their adult life.

Attitude towards Israel and Medinat Yisrael
Tomer Devorah seeks to engender a very strong connection to the Land of Israel through classes and tiyulim and Shabbatot in communities throughout the Land. Medinat Yisrael is a precious and fragile gift that Hashem gave back to the Jews after the destruction of the Holocaust. We have tremendous hakarat hatov for the fact that we have a Medina that affords us to learn and serve Hashem in the Land of our forefathers.

Attitude towards University Studies
Very encouraging of students to continue their studies in colleges and universities around the world.

Attitude towards Extracurricular Activities
There is a very big emphasis on involvement in experiential and extracurricular activities in Tomer Devorah. The monthly calendar has multiple extracurricular activities, trips, events and more every month.

Preparation for Post Israel
In Tomer Devorah there is a very big emphasis on being "real" and encouraging the students to facetheir real-life challenges and hurdles head-on. Tomer Devorah prepares the students not only with the knowledge and background to be confident and proud in their Torah perspectives and beliefs but also to be healthy, inside and out, with a balanced perspective on life and the future.

The "Successful" Student
A successful Tomer Devorah student is one who went through her seminary year facing her challenges - academic, personal growth or spiritual - head on.Tomer Devorah students find they have the support and backing they need to overcome the challenges they meet throughout the year. Those students who don't fake or shy away, but are committed to taking on their challenges, both in the classroom and out,
succeed at becoming developed, mature thinkers and recognize the deep wellspring of personal abilities and potential that they have inside. This is something the students take with them for the rest of their lives and use to face all their future challenges and obstacles.

DressThe Tomer Devorah dress code reflects adherence to Halacha as well as sensitivity to the local religious population.

Guidance Personnel
Rakazot, Mechanechet, Rabbis

SupervisionThere is 24 hour security for the Tomer Devorah campus. There is a family living on the campus and another Eim Bayit living just a few minutes walk away. Our staff is in constant contact with the students and attendance and curfew are monitored daily in order to ensure that every student is accounted for.

History

Founded in 2006, Tomer Devorah is proud to be moving into its second decade as a successful, popular and highly regarded seminary.

Population

Type of American StudentTomer Devorah students come from all over the United States from backgrounds ranging from public school to Beit Yaakov

Overall Number of Students (Kollel, Israeli, Foreign)60

Foreign Student Percentage10%

Number of 1st Year American Students40+

Number of 2nd Year American Students15

Other NationalitiesEngland, Canada, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, and Italy

Number of Students per ClassStudents choose their own classes and therefore class sizes range from as few as 5-8 girls to classes that have all 60 girls in attendance.